Fusee holder



L. COOPER ETAL FUSEE HOLDER Filed April 21, 1952 Feb. 16, 1954 A 7' TORNEV Patented Feb. 16, 1954 UN I TE D S TAT ES -i''EN T OF FICE 2,669,181 FUSEE HO'IZDER 'Lowell Cooper, Pasadena, an'dBarrniL. McNulty, Altadena, Calif. `Application'aprirsi, issa'srisx No. *z'sssz s claims. l

'Tliisinvention-isdirected to a yholder -for 'fuse'e's fof "the type used yextensively in lrailroading and has-'as an objective increased eicienc'y of use 'fand jdecreased hazards.

'A 'fuseeis a flare used particularly in railroading and generally comprises a cardboard cartridge containing a suitable combustant, a tplug or socket, generally of wood, closing one end of the Acartridge, and a cap closing the other end-andcontaining a `ruse for lighting the insee. wioniefuseesare provided with a short'staliee'xtending from the socket member vwhereby they maybe-staked to the ground when s ch action 'is'appr'opriate More-frequently, however, fusees are held by the trainmen so that they may be used'for'signaling Aand may be transported while ttheyare burning.

There is considerable Waste attendant upon thisr'nanner of using 4fusees since the lower part of th'efuse'e becomes hot prior to complete combustion and must be discarded prematurely. Moreover, there is a certain amount of danger involved in so using the fusee and burns of vary- :ing'degree of severity are quite common.

vWe have vnow designed a holder specifically for fusees which will eliminate both the waste and risknow attendant upon their use. In one embodiment the invention'contemplates a holder for a fusee comprising a handle, conveniently shaped-toform"afcomfortable handgrip, a tubular split collet extending from one lend of the handle to receive the socket member of the fusee, anda constricting ring longitudinally displacev`a`.b1je'along the vcollet to'releasably bind the base 44Vo'fthe fusee therein.

To accommodate fusees of all types, the handle `i`s preferably provided with an axial bore opening into'the collet and forming a receptacle `for the stake of a fusee. Preferably, the axial bore traverses the handle and a plunger is provided operable from the end of the handle opposite the collet to eject the socket or unburned portion of the iusee after it is used in the manner hereinafter described. As a further safety precaution, a shield is mounted between the handle and the collet so that any drippings from the fusee are retained or deiiected by the shield.

The invention will be clearly understood from the following detailed description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation view of one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

receptacle for a iusee stake.

Fi`g3 is a vertical section taken on the -line Y3-4-'3 of Fig. 2;

Figxi is a vertical section of a preferred -embodi'm'ent of the invention; and

yFig-5 is a partial vertical sectionof la'further embodiment of theinvention.

l Referring to Figs. 1 through 3, a fuseeliolder l0 is shown in elevation, horizontal section fand `vertical section andcomprise's a handle member i l 'shaped to provide a convenient handg'rip,`and vafsp'lit tubular metal collet I`2 extendingirom a'n end of the handle. The collet I-2 is conveniently fastened on the end of the handleby screws 194, Iii. A slip ring I6 is slidably mounted on the collet and is retained thereon vbetween the 'handle and an annular lip I3 formed at the outer "end of the collet by flaring ythe exposed edge.

The inside diameter of the collet approximates the outside diameter of a fusee Eil and theinside diameter 0I the slip ring i6 is such as to bind Athe collet about the fusee when the ring ispushe'd upwardly against the lip I3 in the manner shown in Fig. l.`

An annular shield or collar i8 is retained on lthe handle by the collet, and may be otherwise lmounted if desired.

The handle li is provided with an axial bore Ll iA opening into the collet YE2 and forming 'a By this means the handleis adapted to use with fusees of any type. A preferred embodiment of the invention is `shown in sectional elevation'in Fig. i and com'- prisesa handle 22, again shaped to form a convenient handgrip, a tubular split collet Eil having vanoverhanging lip 25 at'its open end anda slip ring 26, all similar to the embodiment of Fig. 1. A shield diski is held'A on the handle 22 bythe Vcolletl 214, which is in turnfastened tothe handle by screws 29, 3B.

In this embodiment the handle 22 is provided with an axial bore 32 extending from end to end and being formed of two stepped sections 32A, 32E, the larger section 32B opening axially into the collet 242 and the two sections forming a shoulder 32C within the handle. A plunger 34 is mounted in the bore 32 and comprises a pin 345A slidably disposed in the section 32A of the bore and extending exteriorly of the handle and into the section 32B of the handle bore. The pin BIBA is press-nt into a tubular sleeve 3dB housed in the section 32B of the bore. The section 32B of the bore is ared outwardly adjacent its point of opening into the collet and the tubular portion 34B of the plunger is similarly flared to form a lip 34C. The lower end of the pin SRA is provided with a head 34D to prevent its complete insertion into the handle and to act as a contact surface to facilitate displacement of the pin inwardly of the handle.

A fusee 36 is mounted in the collet in the manner of the fusee 2U in Fig. 1 and is retained therein by the slip ring 26 constricting the collet 24 around the base of the fusee. When the fusee has burned itself out there is frequently little or no projection beyond the outer end of the collet 24 by means of which to grasp and remove the fusee. Removal is readily accomplished by a sharp blowr on the head 34D of the plunger whereby the tubular portion 32B of the plunger bears against the base of the fusee and expels it from the collet. Upon such expulsion the ring 26 returns to the relaxed position shown in Fig. 3.

The plunger is made with a tubular section 34B so as to include a receptacle for a iusee stake 36A forming an integral part of the fusee 36. The shoulder 32C formed at the junction of the step sections 32A, 32B of the axial bore prevents the plunger from dropping from the handle whether or not the aring lip 34C is provided on the upper end of the tubular portion of the plunger.

In this particular arrangement the plunger is assembled in the handle, i. e. the tubular section is inserted from the upper end of the handle as viewed in the drawing and the pin 34A is inserted from the lower end and the two pressiit together as illustrated while retained within the handle.

Many other forms of plungers can be employed, the principal feature being the provision of such a plunger in the fusee handle to eject the burned remnants of the fusee. The plunger has the further advantage of facilitating such removal even While the fusee is too hot to handle so that a new fusee may be quickly reinserted in the collet for use if required.

An alternative form of the invention is shown in partial sectional elevation in Fig. 5, this form including a handle 40 similar to the handle shown in the previous embodiment, a tubular split collet 42 and a shield 44. The collet 42 differs from those previously described in the provision of a threaded locking ring 48 replacing the slip ring IB of the embodiment of Fig. l. The collet 42 further differs in the provision of a transverse web 42A resting on the end surface of the handle 40. A pin 48 is driven through the lower end of the collet and the handle to rivet the collet to the handle. This pin arrangement may be employed with any of the embodiments of the invention, and similarly the collet, as shown in Fig. 5, may be affixed to the handle by screws as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

The holder of the invention is inexpensive to manufacture, is rugged, and greatly facilitates the use of railroad fusees. In addition, it constitutes a real safety measure in avoiding burns so frequently obtained when fusees are held directly. Use of the holder of the type herein shown will represent a real economy in permitting a more efficient utilization of each of the hundreds of thousands of fusees presently used annually by the several railroads.

We claim:

1. A holder for a fusee comprising a handle shaped to form a handgrip, a tubular split collet affixed to and extending from an end of the handle and adapted to receive the base portion of a fusee, a constricting ring longitudinally displaceable along the collet to releasably bind the base of the fusee therein, the handle having an axial bore therethrough, a plunger mounted in the bore and including a tubular section opening into the collet and a protruding end extending exteriorly of the handle at the end thereof opposite the collet, the plunger being adapted to permit ejection of a spent fusee from the collet by displacement of the plunger longitudinally within the bore.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the tubular portion of the plunger is at least large enough to accommodate a usee stake.

3. A holder for a fusee comprising a handle shaped to form a handgrip, a tubular split collet affixed to and extending from an end of the handle and adapted to receive the base portion of a fusee, a constricting ring longitudinally displaceable along the collet to releasably bind the base of the fusee therein, an annular shield mounted between the handle and the collet and projecting outwardly from the handle, the handle having an axial bore therethrough, a plunger mounted in the bore and including a tubular section opening into the collet and a protruding end extending exteriorly of the handle at the end thereof opposite the collet, the plunger being adapted to permit ejection of a spent fusee from the collet by displacement of the plunger longitudinally within the bore.

LOWELL COOPER. BARRON L. MCNULTY.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 35,089 Edge et al Apr. 29, 1862 271,549 True Jan. 30, 1883 630,035 Clark Aug. 1, 1899 1,634,232 Moushon June 28, 1927 2,268,213 Hunnicutt Dec. 30, 1941 

